Agriculture Improvement Act Benefits Texas Farmers and Ranchers
The American Farm Bureau Federation—a national renown organization that began in 1919 with farmers from 30 states—comprises members who strive to maintain the integrity of U.S. food. The group also addresses issues that affect farmers and ranchers throughout the U.S., such as the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 that passed with wide margins by both the Senate Dec. 11 and the House Dec. 12. With only eight months from the introduction of the bill, the final passage by the president was expected Dec. 20. According to the Congressional Research Service, this was the first time since the 1990 Farm Bill was enacted within the same year of program authorization and the prior planting season.
The Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 contains amendments and extensions for a variety of programs such as income support, land conservation, trade promotion, rural development, research, forestry, horticulture, food and nutrition among other programs administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) released a statement after the Senate passed the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018. “After many discussions with Texas farmers and ranchers, I’m pleased to report this Farm Bill includes a number of their priorities, including strengthening crop insurance, maintaining seed cotton eligibility for the Farm Bill safety net and promoting animal health by countering cattle tick fever and Chronic Wasting Disease.”
Senator John Cornyn points out that the Farm Bill is not just for farmers, but will impact the U.S. food supply and pricing, promote environmental conservation, authorize research partnerships at Texas universities, and help modernize American textile mills.
U.S. Representative Jodey Arrington (R-TX 19th District) announced his support of the bill.
“After two years of work, hundreds of meetings in the district and Washington, and months of negotiating on the Farm Bill conference committee, I joined my colleagues in signing the 2018 conference report,” he said in a statement released by his office.
Representative Arrington said although the welfare-to-work reforms led by House Republicans will not be implemented, 18 of the 21 House of Representatives passed reforms to the Food Stamp program that will improve the integrity of the program and reduce fraud and abuse.
“I am pleased to report that we significantly improved the agriculture safety net and made much-needed investments in rural infrastructure, which will provide struggling producers with certainty, strengthen rural communities, and ensure America can provide a safe and affordable food supply to our families independent of foreign countries, Arrington said. “Nothing has been more important to our district than getting a strong and reliable Farm Bill passed, and I am proud to support a conference report that is a win for our hardworking farmers and families in rural America.”
Since Texas produces more cotton than any other state on more than 6 million acres, the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 received support from advocates in the cotton industry. Plains Cotton Cooperative Association (PCCA) located in Lubbock is a marketing cooperative owned by farmers in Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas and New Mexico. The organization is dedicated to supplying sustainably-grown, high-quality cotton fiber around the world.
The PCCA President and CEO Kevin Brinkley said, “This has been a long and deliberative process to provide a meaningful safety net for America’s farmers and economic support for our rural communities in Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas and New Mexico. This bill and the work on seed cotton leading up to it is a huge win for our cotton farmers.” Brinkley shared his appreciation of various advocates for this bill. “We congratulate House Agriculture Committee Chairman Mike Conaway, Ranking Member Collin Peterson, Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Pat Roberts, and Ranking Member Debbie Stabenow for reaching a bipartisan agreement and getting this legislation to the finish line. We also appreciate the support of congressman Jodey Arrington and Senators John Cornyn and Ted Cruz along with other Cotton Belt Members of Congress,” Brinkley said. “The new Farm Bill comes at a critical time for many family farmers.” PCCA Chairman Eddie Smith said, “America’s farmers need economic certainty, and safety net provisions such as continued access to risk management tools will help provide it. We were pleased when cotton was returned to the commodity title of the 2014 Farm Bill, and we are very happy it will continue in this latest legislation.”
Senator Cornyn summarized the following main facets of the bill relevant to Texas farmers and ranchers:
The Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018:
-Protects seed cotton eligibility for the Farm Bill safety net, building on a provision Sen. Cornyn included in the Bipartisan Budget Act earlier this year.
- Retains and strengthens the Price Loss Coverage (PLC) and Agricultural Risk Coverage (ARC) programs to help provide Texas producers with stability through unpredictable weather and natural disasters.
-Strengthens crop insurance programs and other risk management tools for Texas farmers and ranchers.
-Promotes animal health and reauthorizes disease research programs with the creation of an animal vaccine bank, which Sen. Cornyn advocated for in a letter to Committee leadership earlier this year, and which will help address the spread of cattle fever tick. The conference report language is based on Sen. Cornyn’s and Sen. Klobuchar’s Animal Disease and Disaster Prevention, Surveillance, and Rapid Response Act of 2018.
-Allows for the inspection of South Texas herds for cattle tick fever.
-Enhances the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) to provide technical and financial assistance to farmers and ranchers to help them conserve soil and water. -Encourages USDA research partnerships, including those at Texas A&M University System and Texas Tech University System, to promote more productive and profitable farming.
-Maintains and funds foreign access programs, which help Texas farmers and ranchers place and sell their products in foreign markets.
-Directs continued research on the Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) looking for ways to stop its spread and eliminate the disease.
-Makes wildfire damage to fencing eligible for reimbursement under the Emergency Conservation Program.
-Provides more stability for small and midsize dairy farmers through improvements to the Dairy Coverage Program. -Helps textile mills modernize to keep up with international competition.
For additional information about this bill, visit www.congress.gov.